Have your say on huge rail hub plans set for Leicester countryside
Leicestershire residents are being encouraged to have their say on a controversial plan to build a huge rail hub in the county. The £750 million rail freight terminal has been proposed for a huge section of countryside between Leicester and Hinckley[1].
The Hinckley National Rail Freight Interchange would comprise of nine warehouses, as well as a rail terminal capable of handling up to 16 trains a day, if the plan[2] for the land near Burbage Common is approved. There would also be a new road access to the M69 motorway and a lorry park.
Because the plan by Tritax Symmetry is of national significance, it will be considered by the Planning Inspectorate, a Government body[3] which deals with planning disputes and big project, with the final decision to be made by the Secretary of State for Transport rather than local councillors. Residents can now submit comments for and against the plan online[4] by Friday, June 23. A decision is not expected on the plan until next year. The plan has proven controversial in the county. The development would fall mostly within the boundaries of Blaby District Council[5], spilling over into Hinckley and Bosworth Borough. Both authorities have raised concerns over the plans.
Blaby said the size of the scheme would “swallow up Burbage Common three times over”. The plan fails to provide accurate detail and mitigation on highways and landscape impacts, as well as the effect of extra barrier down time at Narborough Level Crossing on both traffic congestion and air quality for residents, the authority added. Hinckley and Bosworth Borough councillor David Bill previously told LeicestershireLive[6] that almost all green land between Earl Shilton and Stoney Stanton could end up disappearing if the development, along with others, was approved.
“The problem is, what countryside there is in the borough is pretty well protected, but as soon as you go outside you’ve got developments all around,” he said. “Tritax is just outside Hinckley and Bosworth, but some of us have serious concerns that if it goes ahead, and all the other developments go ahead, then we could see solid developments all the way down from Earl Shilton to Stoney Stanton. The whole of that tranche of countryside[8] could go. The countryside is going to be changed forever.”
Land between Stoney Stanton and the M69 was identified by Leicestershire County Council as a key development area, with the possibility of thousands of new houses being built there to help address the need for new homes for city and county residents. Coun Bill added: “It’s difficult to see how roads are going to cope. People already have to queue to get off the M69. With another massive development feeding into that road it’s difficult to see how people would get into the city at all. Our concerns about this development have been a continual source of concern for a few years now. It’s on the agenda of every parish council meeting. Working parties have been set up all over the place to address it.”
Tritax Symmetry says the proposal will create more than 8,000 jobs and deliver more than £70 million of infrastructure improvements in the area – including new slip roads at Junction 2 of the M69 and a new link between the motorway and the B4669/A47 Leicester Road. It said moving goods on 16 trains a day would remove 300,000 lorry trips a year from the roads – or 83 million miles of road transport.
Tritax Symmetry planning director Sinead Turnbull said: “The acceptance of the application [by the Planning Inspectorate] for Hinckley National Rail Freight Interchange marks an important milestone in delivering significant investment in low carbon buildings and infrastructure for Leicestershire. The unique location, with excellent strategic connections, will mean it is one of the most important rail freight and infrastructure projects for the region’s connectivity.
“It will generate new apprenticeships and skills for the region in a fast-growing and future-facing logistics industry – one that is the lifeblood of the economy and vital to our country’s growth.” The business said it made changes to the plans following the initial three rounds of consultations including additional landscaping and ecological enhancements, reducing the building heights and planning a footbridge at a level crossing.
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References
- ^ Hinckley (www.leicestermercury.co.uk)
- ^ if the plan (www.leicestermercury.co.uk)
- ^ Government body (www.leicestermercury.co.uk)
- ^ online (infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk)
- ^ Blaby District Council (www.leicestermercury.co.uk)
- ^ LeicestershireLive (www.leicestermercury.co.uk)
- ^ Gartree Prison concerns amid rise in violence and banned items (www.leicestermercury.co.uk)
- ^ countryside (www.leicestermercury.co.uk)
- ^ newsletter here (data.reachplc.com)